FCAS partners move to next phase
A model of FCAS was unveiled at the 2019 Paris Air Show. (Photo: German MoD)
Tripartite agreement sets Phase 1B of NGWS/FCAS in motion.
The New Generation Weapon System/Future Combat Air System (NGWS/FCAS) programme is moving to its next phase, after the governments of France, Germany and Spain signed an agreement on 17 May.
Phase 1B aims to deliver a flight-capable fighter aircraft by 2027, ‘paving the way for an operational aircraft in 2040,’ French defence minister Florence Parly noted.
Negotiations between French procurement agency DGA, its Spanish counterpart DGAM and the German MoD ‘enabled a balanced agreement between the different partners to be reached for the next step in the demonstration phase of the programme’, the three governments announced in a joint statement.
‘The relevant government agreements are ready for national processes to be started for formal validation,’ they added.
The NGWS will be fully integrated with individual national combat air systems. It will comprise a New Generation Fighter, Remote Carriers and a Combat Cloud ‘designed to achieve information mastery’, the statement continued.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Future Combat Air System (FCAS/SCAF) [Spain]
You may also like
More from Air Warfare
-
![Poland approved for another buy of AMRAAMs under $1.3 billion deal]()
Poland approved for another buy of AMRAAMs under $1.3 billion deal
The deal is for 400 AIM-120D-3 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM). It increases the stocks the country already has and follows a US$1.7 billion order for 745 missiles approved in March last year.
-
![Italian Army receives first UH-169D light utility helicopter]()
Italian Army receives first UH-169D light utility helicopter
The delivery is the first in a total of 25 helicopters on order, with all deliveries expected to be completed by 2027.
-
![MBDA backs British startup to continue development on heavy-lift drone]()
MBDA backs British startup to continue development on heavy-lift drone
The investment will bring together the Hybrid Drones and MBDA to enable the former to further develop its Hydra 400 UAV, previously showcased by the British Army.
-
![Norway receives final F-35 aircraft and unveils first Joint Strike Missile delivery]()
Norway receives final F-35 aircraft and unveils first Joint Strike Missile delivery
Work has begun on stockpiling the Joint Strike Missile (JSM), following the first missile’s delivery from Kongsberg and the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency.
-
![US Air Force has big plans for the F-47]()
US Air Force has big plans for the F-47
The USAF Chief of Staff has claimed that the sixth-generation fighter would allow for guaranteeing “air superiority for generations to come”.
-
![India and France seal Rafale-M deal as plans for local assembly advance]()
India and France seal Rafale-M deal as plans for local assembly advance
Inter-governmental agreement signed as final assembly line plans inch closer.
